No change in Pendle Council leadership

John Deehan

Councillors have voted to re-elect Mohammed Iqbal as leader of Pendle Borough Council.

The vote, which was carried out at the annual council meeting, will see the continuation of the Labour/Liberal Democrat Executive of the council which has been in place for the past year.

Coun. Iqbal said: “I am delighted that the councillors have once again put their faith in me and I look forward to building on our last 12 months achievements where Labour and the Liberal Democrats have worked together for the benefit of the residents of the borough. Many of our initiatives will soon come to fruition and the opportunity to continue and build on this work is vital.”

Coun. Tony Greaves, who was re-elected as deputy leader, highlighted the positive working relationship between the Labour and Liberal Groups.

A number of impassioned speeches were made about the need to support the Women’s Refuge service, which has come under threat due to Central Government cuts and the Government not deeming them to be statutory services. To this end, Coun. Iqbal offered to travel to London to meet with Government Ministers to request a re-think on funding for Women’s Refuges.